Mad Men Episode 2

My mom sent me a one word e-mail about Love Among The Ruins, the pretentiously titled second episode of Mad Men's third season.  That word? boring. Not even capitalized! That's how boring it was!

I beg to differ a little bit from my mom on this one.  The first episode was boring in the sense that nothing really seemed to be happening (outside of the fire drill). In the second episode... plenty happened... I just didn't find it all that involving or compelling. It got me thinking... perhaps I'm over this show. Wouldn't be the first time. I was pretty much done with the Sopranos at the end of Season Four.

There's two real chinks in Mad Men's armor, and this episode was rife with both of them. The first is a kind of ham-fisted faux subtlety in their evocation of period. They largely got beyond this problem after the first few episodes of the show, but it rears its ugly head now and then. In this particular episode, it manifested itself in the writers' obsession with showing Betty draper smoke and drink while seven months pregnant.  We get it, guys. It was a different time back then! With different mores! Oooooo. 

The second problem is writerly contempt for character.  This is the problem that eventually sank the Sopranos (it was also part of what made the show interesting to watch in the beginning). And here we must return again to Betty. Has Betty draper uttered one line this season that wasn't (a) Childish (b) Bitchy (c) Petulant (d) Inappropriate or (e) Conceited? Not that I can think of. Betty was never a super-likeable character but at least in prior seasons she was interesting and complex. Remember when she fixed her friend up with the guy she wanted to fuck and then was a total asshole about it? That was not very nice or good. But it was interesting! And mysterious! I'm not asking that Betty Draper be suddenly a good person. I just want her to be interesting. Now she's just kinda a dick. (Contrast that with the level of humanity the writers give characters they clearly like Pete or Peggy and what I'm talking about here might be a little clearer)

I must admit that literally as soon as Betty showed up in the episode i actually thought "oh, who gives  a shit, really?" so it might just be my own boredom with Don's personal life.  Similarly, actually, to the Sopranos, now that Don has been thrown out of his house and taken back, his personal life is much, much less interesting. They've pulled the pin on that particular aspect of their show, and no amount of John McCain as Betty's Crazy Father is gonna put it back in. 

Speaking of Peggy, it's nice to have a show partially centered on someone so weird, played by an actress that opaque. 

Comments

[Josh]

The second episode was a little boring, but the season it's just getting started. Mad Men has always been set to slow cook and last night's episode was awesome so I have faith that it will just get better and better.

Also, I have to disagree with you on Betty. Maybe it's just because I'm a big old fag, but I LOVE her more and more the nastier she gets and it seems to me that the writers are having fun with it too. She's had some great zingers lately. Also, I can't get enough pregnant drinking and smoking. Seriously, I say triple it.

I thought of you the spit second the black face showed up last night, by the way.

[former mad men fan]

i used to love mad men. season one: pitch perfect. season two: took a awhile to get going. season three: snooze fest.

i think they got a little too ahead of themselves or have no real idea where to take the show now.